


A Mech by Any Other Name Would Smell as Stifled

by Draikinator



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Drift speaks hand, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-07
Updated: 2015-05-07
Packaged: 2018-03-29 11:16:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3894337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Draikinator/pseuds/Draikinator
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Drift teaches Ratchet to spell his name in hand.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Mech by Any Other Name Would Smell as Stifled

Ratchet twisted his fingers and looked back up at Drift expectantly. He was smiling, clearly amused, and Ratchet grunted. “That wasn’t right, was it?”

Drift laughed, “No, what you’ve just said was closer to ‘rolling chair,’ than anything. Look, it’s just a little poke and then a flick right- here. There!” He adjusted Ratchet’s hands in his once more, tugging his fingers into their proper positions.

“And that’s my name?” Ratchet asked, repeating the motion alone, slowly. Drift nodded.

“It’s the sign for 'Wrench’ anyway- but see, the way you hold your thumbs here indicates it’s a name and not a word,” he said, poking at Ratchet’s thumbs with his own, “There’s no specific sign for 'Ratchet,’ but you can still spell it out if you want,” he said, moving his hnds to spell Ratchet’s name, “That’s what I used to do, Drift is only five glyphs and there’s no word for Drift, and I was always so persnickety about my name!” More tinkling laughter.

“Used to?” Asked Ratchet, repeating the letters into Drift’s palm, “Not spelling it out anymore, huh?”

Drift’s smile faded softer, distant, “No.”

He signed something into Ratchet’s hands, slowly, carefully, fluidly, thumbs out.

“So what word did'ya use, then?” Ratchet asked, repeating it while Drift let his optics shut, “Float? Speedy? Hippie?”

* * *

 

Drift huffed, frustrated and yanked his hands away, “This is stupid.”

Gasket rolled his eyes, “It is not stupid, it’s handy.” He paused, then chuckled at his own pun, like it had surprised him. Drift made a gagging motion and Gasket kicked at him and shifted backward on the matress.

“I just don’t see why I need to learn this scrap,” Drift huffed, but let Gasket take his hands again and fold their fingers together, “Seems dumb and pointless.”

“You should take any opportunity you can to learn a new skill, Drift,” Gasket said, “And maybe get yourself out of here one day.”

Drift was silent.

“Show me how to sign my name?” He asked after a moment, and Gasket’s grin came back in full force as he signed five glyphs into Drift’s hands.

“D-r-i-f-t,” he said, nodding, and Drift frowned.

“I gotta spell it out every time?”

Gasket shrugged, “If you wanna pick a word instead, you can, but I don’t know a sign for 'Drift,’ so.”

Drift frowned, “Like what?”

Gasket’s paused in thought, before moving his fingers, “Well, this is "fast.”“

Drift shook his head, "Nah.”

“And this is "slide.”

“Nope.”

Gasket looked down at their hands as he signed, “And this is "important.”“

Drift looked down, hands stilled, "That couldn’t ever be my name, Gask.”

Gasket didn’t respond, but to sign something, “And that’s "friend.”“

Drift was silent for a moment, "I’ll just spell it.”

* * *

 

“Gasket,” Drift said gently, opening his optics and repeating the word again softly in Ratchet’s palms.

**Author's Note:**

> After I posted that last fic about Drift speaking hand my friend gave me a REALLY GOOD follow up idea so: MORE DRIFT AND GASKET AND SPEAKING HAND YAY.


End file.
